Will PennDOT pull plug on digital billboard?

Thursday

May 24, 2007 at 12:20 AMMay 24, 2007 at 1:04 AM

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation may commence legal action that could include an injunction or even cutting power to the digital billboard at the Crossroads Travel Center to stop all advertising unless it is brought into compliance with state sign ordinances by the end of June.

HOWARD FRANK

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation may commence legal action that could include an injunction or even cutting power to the digital billboard at the Crossroads Travel Center in Bartonsville unless the sign is brought into compliance with state ordinances by the end of June, according to a new notice sent to the owners of the sign.

A PennDOT investigation of the giant digital billboard revealed its owners never secured a permit for the sign and are using it to advertise off-premise businesses, both violations of state law.

The agency sent two letters to JP Ertle Development LP, in March and April, informing the company of the defaults and demanding compliance. The last notice, with a 30-day response window that expired May 20, said the agency would tear down the sign if the owners did not bring it into compliance.

Why has the owner of the billboard been given another 30-day period to comply with the law? "We have to go through the legal process," according to PennDOT spokesman Ron Young. "We must follow the procedures written in the law."

According to Young, JP Ertle Development has not responded to either of the earlier default notices. The latest, sent May 20, gives the owners 30 days from their receipt of the letter to respond. A fine of $500 per day can be assessed if PennDOT obtains a summary conviction on the defaults.